iPhones, iPads may soon be better able to automatically crop videos

iPhones and iPads may soon be better able to automatically crop videos. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11967039 B2) for “Automatic Cropping of Video Content.”

About the patent

Then patent relates generally to methods of processing video, and more specifically to the automatic cropping of video content. In the patent, Apple notes that electronic devices are often equipped with a camera for capturing video content and/or a display for displaying video content. However, the company says that amateur users often capture video content without regard to composition, framing, or camera movement, resulting in video content that can be jarring or confusing to viewers.

What’s more, for amateur users, determining a desirable cropping presentation while capturing video content can impose a heavy cognitive burden and a substantial time commitment, making the task so unappealing as to be avoided. Apple thinks that what is needed is the ability to provide a “desirable cropping presentation.”

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Electronic devices are often equipped with a camera for capturing video content and/or a display for displaying video content. However, amateur users often capture video content without regard to composition, framing, or camera movement, resulting in video content that can be jarring or confusing to viewers. There is a need to automate the processing and presentation of video content in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The embodiments described herein provide a method of automatically cropping video content for presentation on a display.”